Mountaineers Down Thundering Herd in Nail-Biter

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - Appalachian State University women's basketball (2-8) toppled Marshall (3-7) in a nail-biting 56-54 triumph on Saturday afternoon in the Cam Henderson Center.

Bayley Plummer had herself a monster performance with a career-high 16 points and 18 rebounds while also blocking three shots, picking up three steals and dishing out two assists. Plummer shot 6-for-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from the charity stripe in her best outing of the season. Plummer notched her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career. 

Nicola Mathews turned in her best performance of the season with a career-high 17 points and dished out five assists. The Australian point guard shot 5-of-9 from the field, 4-of-6 from trifecta and hit three big foul shots in the fourth quarter. LaPresha Stanley came up with a clutch performance as she scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half and shot 5-for-10 (0-6 in first half) to go along with six boards and four helpers.

Plummer, Stanley, and Mathews combined for 49 points, 27 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting 16-for-37 from the floor. 

Trailing 48-43 with 4:36 left in the game, the Apps outscored the Herd, 13-6, the rest of the way to claim their fourth-straight win on Marshall's home floor and the third consecutive win in the series. Mathews, Plummer, and Stanley scored the final 13 points including a 9-0 run over a 3:10 span to push App to a 52-48 lead. Marshall would cut the lead to one possession on multiple occasions including a chance to win or tie while trailing 55-53 with nine seconds left. After Mathews went 1-2 at the line, Marshall drew a foul to put Asheika Alexander at the charity stripe. Alexander hit just one at the charity stripe, which would lead to a big-time rebound from Plummer before icing the game with a foul shot.

Appalachian was clutch in the final five minutes of the contest, as it went 6-for-8 from the line (6-12 rest of the game). Defensively, the Mountaineers forced the hosts to a shoot a season-low 34.4 percent at home this season and 19 turnovers, which ties a season-best in miscues forced. Conference USA's fifth-leading scorer coming into the game, Shayna Gore (16.8 ppg), scored 15 points but needed 20 shots to do so going 6-for-20. 

The Mountaineers got off to a strong start in the opening frame thanks to the hot shooting from Mathews, who shot 4-of-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to give the sophomore 11 points. After Gore hit a layup to provide Marshall with a 9-8 lead with 4:49 left, Plummer and Mathews spearheaded a 7-0 spurt that pushed the Apps to a 15-9 advantage. Marshall cut the deficit to a bucket before Plummer found a cutting Maya Calder to push the lead to four, 18-14. App went into the second period ahead, 20-17.

In the second quarter, Plummer's layup in the first 23 seconds of the game extended the lead to five, 22-17. However, the Herd over the next 3:51 went on an 8-0 spurt while holding App scoreless for the next 6:12 to take a 25-22 lead. The Mountaineers responded when Tierra Wilson sparked a surge of their own over the last five minutes with six-straight points and forced Marshall into five missed shots and three turnovers. Appalachian regained the lead, 28-25, going into the break. 

Marshall started off strong coming out of the gate going up by as much as five, 38-33, with 3:54 left in the period. That's when Stanley got it going where she went on a personal 9-0 run over 2:14 stretching into the first 39 seconds of the final period to extend App to a 42-40 lead. Stanley made some big plays during the stretch including back-to-back 3-pointers and drew an offensive foul. 

The Thundering Herd again came back to take their final lead of the game before Appalachian's impressive comeback, which snapped a three-game skid.

Appalachian will look to end non-conference play on a high note when it heads to Asheville to face UNCA at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21, the final game before Sun Belt play begins. 

Tip-Ins
- App State assisted on 14-of-19 (73.7) of its field goals.
- Plummer's PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 31 is a season best and team high this season, while Mathews posted a PER of 18.
- Plummer is the first player since Maryah Sydnor (Davidson; 1/25/14; 36 points/15 rebounds) to post at least 15 points and 15 rebounds.
- Plummer's 18 rebounds are the most since Anna Freeman grabbed 18 off the glass against College of Charleston on Feb. 20, 2013.
- Stanley led the team with a plus-6 in the plus/minus category.

Quotable
"Today was a moment of growth for our team. I thought our preparation leading up to today was exceptional. Our ability to finish and weather a few scoring droughts was a sign of our growth. I'm proud of this team, their effort and resiliency to stay committed to our process." - Head Coach Angel Elderkin."